John W. Howell

Friday

Jan 4, 2013 at 10:19 AMJan 4, 2013 at 10:20 AM

John Winthrop Howell, 91, of Whitewater, Wis., and formerly of Palatine and Chatsworth, passed away peacefully Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, surrounded by his loving family in Whitewater, Wis.His funeral was held at 1 p.m. Dec. 19 at Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home, Palatine. A calling was held from 10 a.m. until the time of the funeral.Mr. Howell was responsible for bringing Fairbury Industries and a hundred new jobs to Livingston County in the early 1960s, when he introduced the Chicago-based owners of Nicoh Tube to local business leaders in Fairbury. He was familiar with the community, as he had spent summers visiting cousins in Fairbury, and had later lived in Chats-worth while married to his first wife, Joyce Conrad Howell.John Howell was born on Jan. 1, 1921, in Chicago, the son of Leroy and Grace (Williams) Howell. His wife Lois Patricia Howell preceded him in death.Survivors include his children, Susan Fox of Chatsworth, Virginia Sharp of Aurora, Steven (Linda) Howell of Streamwood, Judith (Ken) Lazar of Sherman, Mary Betz of Palatine, and June (Glenn) Wilharm of Whitewater, Wis.; 15 grandchildren, including Michelle Brand of Fairbury; and many great-grandchildren, including Michael and Dustin Brand and Nicolas Salinas, all of Fairbury; and great-great-grandchildren.He was also preceded in death by a daughter, Deborah Patton, a brother, David Howell, and his parents. During his career, Mr. Howell was the owner and operator of various trucking companies, including Transcontinental Rigging & Loading Corp., which hauled thousands of large Naval and Coast Guard ships, as well as custom-build yachts and racing sailboats across the country. He and his son also moved several dozen commercial paddlewheel boats from Wisconsin to major tourist areas, two of which are located at Lake Mead, Nev., and Lake Tahoe, Calif. He always claimed, “No job too large.” He took pride in his work and happily worked until the age of 83 when he finally retired.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Rainbow Hospice Care, 147 W. Rockwell St., Jefferson, WI 53549.